This invention relates generally to convertible furniture, and more particularly, to a couch or lounge which is convertible to a bed. The convertible couch or lounge has particular utility in vans or other recreational and leisure vehicles, but is equally as well suited to use in homes and the like for furniture.
Many different types of convertible couches and lounges, and many different approaches to the structure thereof, have been made in the prior art as exemplified, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,312,984, 3,946,678, 1,163,460 and 2,848,273. However, these prior art devices have one or more disadvantages. For example, they are either relatively expensive and cumbersome in construction and occupy an excessive amount of space, or require the use of separate fasteners and linkages and the like to secure them in position and enable them to be moved from sitting to horizontal positions. Additionally, all such beds known to applicant are limited in length by the width of the vehicle, resulting in a bed of substandard length, i.e. 5 feet, 6 inches.
The present invention, on the other hand, provides a convertible couch or lounge which is particularly suitable for use in vans, since the couch occupies very little space when in an upright lounge position, and at the same time provides substantial storage space beneath and behind the lounge. Moreover, the lounge or couch is securely supported in its couch position without requiring the use of separate fasteners, such as bolts or the like, or linkages, or other complex mechanical devices. The couch or lounge is easily moved into a horizontal position to define a sleeping surface or bed and, in fact, the bed provided by the present invention is the only one known to applicant which provides a truly king size bed, which is 6 feet long and 5 feet, 8 inches wide, and in a van permits the user to sleep lengthwise of the van, whereas prior art beds for sleeping in vans require the user to sleep crosswise. Another feature of the present invention, which makes it particularly desirable for vans and the like, is the ability to simply fold up the couch or lounge of the invention and lift it from the van, thus providing a large, uninterrupted space for hauling large objects and the like. Frequently, persons owning vans desire to use them as utility vehicles for hauling materials or the like and in these instances, they generally are not able to utilize their van as a luxury or recreational vehicle since the fixtures and components placed therein to convert the van to a luxury or recreational vehicle are not readily removed for use of the van as a utility vehicle.